I Make My Own Mistakes
by FinelyForgotten
Summary: Mina Harker is every bit as intelligent as her father was, and like her father found out too late, the reasearch she is finishing is deadly. But will Van Helsing stop her before it is too late? ;D Enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

The house was in disarray. Cobwebs plastered the crevices that had not been dusted in nearly a decade. Dust settled on surfaces, thick as a blanketing of newly fallen snow, doors shrieked when they turned on their hinges, and shutters clattered against the aging panes of glass. She stood in the once grand entry hall, looking about upon the decaying, neglected family estate of her father, now hers. Memories streaked across her vision. She all too clearly remembered the day word came that her father had been killed in a horrible accident. He had left the family manor to the only woman he had ever loved, her mother, Elizabeth. She had been two. Most toddlers do not have memories from that point in their lives. And then came even more painful memories. The day her mother had…passed. It was two years ago today that she had gone, and everyone else had followed. When Elizabeth Harker had died, the servants had left. But she had stayed. She had never met him, but for some reason, Mina Harker was drawn to her father's home, his musings, the place where he had spent his last years with her mother. Whether she carried his last name or no, this place welcomed her. And it should have. Unbeknownst to her, she was more like her father than anyone could say. She possessed his great intelligence, even genius perhaps. And she looked like him, oh she looked a great deal like the great Dr. Viktor von Frankenstein. She had his dark hair and his grey eyes, his nose… But her height was not his, that was her mother's. She had inherited her mother's height of just over five feet, her mother's soft curls. A single tear escaped from her eye, leaving trail as it ran down over her nose and onto her cheek. Distracted, she brushed it away before turning and walking from the entry hall. No more.

Her determined steps led her to the room that had once been her father's study. Scooping up rolls of papers and blueprints in her arms and placing a pencil in-between her teeth, she stopped for a moment to contemplate her father's portrait. Muffled words came out betwixt clenched teeth. "This is for you, Papa." With a last glance about the room, she turned down the gaslight and exited into the corridor once more. It was pitch black, but Mina knew her way through the house with her eyes closed. A hand placed gently against the far wall for support, the paced down the hallway, remembering that she had forgotten to purchase kerosene. That would be a problem. Ah well. All that she had at the moment went to the lamp she carried with her and her…project. She descended the steps into the estate's basement, the high grilled windows allowing some light through. But the light of the moon only. There, covered in sheets, stood the generators. It had taken much of the money left to her by her mother to construct those, and the conductors as well. But it had been worth it. She hoped. Closing her eyes for one second and saying a prayer, her finger straying on the switch, she took a deep breath. And then, she flipped. Electricity shot through the generators, lighting the conductors. A small smirk spread across Mina's lips. "For you, Papa." Hundreds of miles away in Rome, Gabriel Van Helsing awoke in a cold sweat.

The next morning found him striding toward Cardinal Jinette's private apartments, obeying a summons. It was just as well. Even he knew all was not right. Opening the door before Gabriel could even lift a fist to knock, the elderly man strode past him, immediately beginning to speak. Turning on his heel with a slight roll of his eyes, he followed. Another dirty mission most likely. He was always picking up the Church's trash. "We have an assignment for you, Gabriel." Speaking silently under his breath, Van Helsing mimicked the cardinal. Shooting a fierce glare at the hunter, Cardinal Jinette continued. "A certain girl has been the particular interest of the Church and The Order for a month or more now." He shot the hunter another glance. Van Helsing merely quirked an eyebrow in response. The cardinal sighed. "Her name, Gabriel, is Mina Harker. Ring any bells?" Van Helsing contemplated the name for a time before he shook his head. Cardinal Jinette continued, trying to lead Gabriel into the answer. "Before and for a time during his work for Dracula, Viktor Frankenstein was engaged to a woman by the name of Elizabeth Harker." Gabriel's eyes widened slightly.

"So then this Mina is the daughter of Elizabeth Harker and…" Van Helsing trailed off slightly.

"And Viktor Frankenstein." The Cardinal continued to walk, descending down into the secret lair of the Order. "Mina Harker is every bit as intelligent as her father was, perhaps more so. But, she does not know why her father died. She has discovered his research Gabriel, and has almost completed it. But she does not know the consequences. An end must be put to her research—no matter the cost." The Cardinal's meaning was clear.

Gabriel nodded. "So back off to Transylvania I trot." Glancing down at the Cardinal, he clenched his teeth. "One condition." Cardinal Jinette looked surprised.

"And what would that be?"

"Carl is coming with me."

The Cardinal laughed, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly. "I would have it no other way, Gabriel." Besides, returning to Transylvania, Gabriel Van Helsing would need moral support. This journey would bring back unwelcome memories.


	2. Success!

It was late in the evening, and Mina Harker was making her way slowly to the study, a steaming bowl of stew in one hand, the gas lamp in the other. Her features held the strain of the weary, but there was a triumphant defiance to her stormy grey eyes. She had done it. She had succeeded in completing her father's research. She had deserved her rest. Settling into the high-backed leather chair, she sighed, letting her mind wander. As a child, she had often done this very thing, letting her mind drift to many different places, to places of legend. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes began to close. It was true, she was exhausted… but she still had so much to do! Nevertheless, her eyes slipped shut and she was left in peace. Until that was, she heard a crash from one of the upstairs corridors.

Gabriel Van Helsing and Carl had left the Vatican almost a week past, traveling over the sea to come to Romania, guarded by the forbidding Carpathian Mountains. Now, Gabriel feared it had all been for naught. He whirled about on his heel soundlessly, dragging Carl up from where he stooped, picking up the pieces of a shattered vase. His eyes widened slightly under the brimmed hat he wore as the soft footsteps came slowly up the staircase, muffled by the many layers of dust that lay there, the passage of years marked. In a single, swift motion he (with Carl in tow) disappeared into the shadows. He watched unnoticed as a girl of no more than twenty appeared at the top of the staircase. Her dark curls caught his attention, but her eyes were different. Different than… He shook his head as she walked past and silently slipped behind her, motioning for Carl to wait in the shadows. Suddenly, one of his arms snaked its way around her waist, and another reached to cover her mouth. "Don't scream. It will make my job much easier." He hissed, his voice cold in the house's desolate solitude.

(Sorry for the short chapter! Please read and respond! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all!)


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